-
Capacity boosted between Asia and Europe to meet ‘unprecedented demand’ for shipping services
-
Redeployment of capacity on lines between Asia and Europe accelerated by 6% for the fourth quarter of 2020 year-on-year
-
Further additions to capacity in the first quarter of 2021 will lift capacity 10% higher than in the current quarter
-
A number of solutions being implemented to address container shortage and port congestion
Container shipping liner CMA CGM is boosting its capacity between Asia and Europe amid “unprecedented demand” for shipping services, and implementing solutions to address container shortage and port congestion.
The French carrier said it has accelerated the redeployment of its capacity assigned to lines between Asia and Europe by 6% for the fourth quarter of 2020 compared to the same period of 2019.
It will make further additions in the first quarter of 2021, when capacity will be 10% higher than in the current quarter.
This ramp-up will be achieved by providing the following:
- A new class of nine 23,000-TEU vessels, powered by liquefied natural gas, assigned to the Asia-Europe trade, three of which are already in service
- Two extra loaders operating on routes between Asia and Europe, providing over 9,000 TEUs in total capacity, with special departures from China to France and the Netherlands in late December 2020
- No blank sailing departures on the FAL (French Asia Line) 1 and FAL 3 lines since the recovery began in Asia in mid-May
Further, the CMA CGM Antoine de Saint Exupéry will make another weekly import call in Le Havre in France starting December 13 on the shipping liner’s FAL 1, which connects Asia to Europe in an 84-day rotation.
This direct connection can ship a container from Shanghai to France in just 27 days. In parallel, the FAL 3 service will make a weekly export call in Le Havre bound for ports in the Red Sea, the Persian Gulf and Asia. Under these new arrangements, the group’s vessels will make four weekly calls in France—two at Le Havre, one at Dunkirk and one at Marseille/Fos-sur-Mer.
The group is also implementing several solutions to address container shortage and port congestion issues, including speeding up the return of empty containers to Asia and cutting delays at the ports it serves in Asia and Europe.
It said it has arranged special services for its customers to ports less affected by the congestion. During the second half of 2020, CMA CGM has increased the size of its container fleet by 8.7%, rerouted services to clear the build-up of empty containers, and been offering the use of other types of containers to meet customers’ needs.
Photo from CMA CGM
